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With these events occurring recently, being a high-school student who is attending college in the fall means that my concerns about safety for myself and those around me have been raised. Binghamton University is making a bold move with adding this security to their campus, and I praise them for doing so.

Along with the added security, I sincerely hope that many assault cases do not go unreported. I hope these changes make everyone feel more comfortable in reporting dangerous situations to increase overall safety. I hope this system makes students more comfortable in coming forward about situations like these. I hope other colleges decide to make some similar changes as well. It makes me feel grateful knowing that Binghamton University is trying their best to raise awareness of these tragic events to the students and those in the community.

This makes me feel safer about the college and the community in general, and I genuinely hope that other colleges and universities see these actions being taken and follow in Binghamton’s footsteps.

In response to the article “John Moriello Best in Upstate: Rethink the Chill in HS Sports,” where John Moriello proposes cutting the baseball and softball NYSPHSAA tournament due to persistent poor weather conditions in New York:

Spring is a busy time for any high school student, with regents approaching, prom, musicals and, for student athletes, another competitive season from March to May. For any high school athlete, the state tournament is a chance to compete at a higher level and accomplish the unique task of bringing home a state title. Students who play baseball or softball shouldn’t lose a chance like that just because they live in New York.

Going into the spring season, student athletes know they are signing up for a month inside the gym, yet continue to come out ready to compete in early April despite the weather. You could argue the colder games make the warmer ones 10 times better in comparison, and the state title taste even sweeter.

ABI HIGGINS

APALACHIN

Learn early warning signs of heart disease

UHS hospitals have started a “Little Hats” from “Big Hearts” campaign around the Southern Tier.

This campaign is in regards to heart disease awareness and was started in February, American Heart Month. The red hats were given to babies born at UHS Wilson Medical Center and UHS Chenango Memorial Hospital.

This program is very important, considering that heart disease is the No. 1 killer of Americans. One in four deaths among Americans is due to heart disease, and many people go untested. By getting simple blood tests, you can detect heart anemia and CDH, a birth defect in the heart.

With many people not knowing all the facts about heart disease or heart attacks, 47 percent of sudden cardiac deaths occur outside a hospital. This shows that people aren’t aware of the early warning signs of heart disease, and that campaigns like the “Little Hats, Big Hearts” are an important to show people the severity of heart disease in Americans and encourage people to get tested.

BRINN SHAUGHNESSY

APALACHIN

Take advantage of resources at SUNY Broome

SUNY Broome Community College has greatly expanded its programs surrounding public involvement.

An asset at SUNY Broome is its Douglas C. Garnar Center for Civic Engagement. This is a wonderful addition to the constantly expanding Broome campus. It promotes civil engagement and provides resources pertaining to current issues. It is a resource available to students as well as members of the community, and results in more educated citizens.

As someone who is involved in volunteering and community involvement, this is a very useful center to have access to within our community. A center that promotes civic engagement will increase the amount of community involvement in a positive way. Citizens will be encouraged to participate in the events held at this center and therefore increase community involvement.

SUNY Broome has also added the Literacy Legacy Project, which promotes literacy awareness among young children. This program ensures that families have the proper resources to literacy to provide their children with ample literacy education from birth. The Literacy Legacy Project is an extremely beneficial addition to our community, and even more centers would further promote literacy among young children.

NATALIE BRAMAN

OWEGO

Student tutors help others and themselves

Student tutors can be very valuable in a classroom. As a high-schooler, I currently assist the Owego Elementary School in a fifth-grade classroom.

It is huge for a student who doesn’t understand a subject to be taken out of the classroom and have someone new explain it in a different way so they can understand. It helps the student tutor narrow down whether they want to work with children for the rest of their lives.

For me, it is the best experience and I absolutely love it. It has helped me realize that I want to be a child protective service agent.

Anyone who does well in school should be a student tutor; it helps the students you work with, and in the long run, it helps you.

ABBY VAUGHN

APALACHIN

Educate kids about government earlier

There are many opinions about the millennial generation. One thing is a fact: They are the future of our country.

According to a recent NPR article, millennials, 75 million people strong, make up about 30 percent of the voting population. Yet only 24 million young people voted in the 2016 election. It is important to get young people involved and educated in politics so that we can have as many voters in each election as possible so people can feel heard.

Schools can increase civic involvement by starting government courses and clubs earlier in high school so that when students reach the appropriate voting age, they can make an educated vote — not only by knowing the name of a candidate, but based on their opinions and what they think is best for their community/country.

It is extremely important for students to know how to vote so that we can ensure an educated future for our country.